How are we actually in first?

Ok. Here's a scavenger hunt for y'all. Open up your newspaper to the Sports Section. Find the baseball standings. What team is in first place in the American League East? The New York Yankees. While I am truly overjoyed by this, I have to wonder how this happened.

Have you watched this team lately? We've been playing like garbage, similar to how North Korea looked against Portugal. I see two key reasons as to why we are in first:

First off, Andy Pettite and Phil Hughes have been indomitable lions this year. They have a combined 18 wins and 3 losses. Hughes is third in ESPN's Cy Young Tracker (behind Price and Bucholtz). Pettite is 4th. Both these pitchers are rolling. They're the Super Eagles of this squad.

Second, Robbie Cano. Don't Ya Know? Cano is on a tear this season. His BA is about .25 points higher than anybody in the majors. First in the AL in hits, second in the Majors to Martin Prado on Atlanta. He's driving the car known as the Yankee offense right now. He's batting like the Celestial Blue Sky.

See...we really shouldn't be in first place. I'm a huge Yankee fan, but come on:

We have AJ. He's tanking fast. Last six starts? 2-4, 6.55 ERA, a WHIP over 1.5, and not too statistically, he can't get people out on two outs. We've got nothing on the top. Jeter is struggling, Tex started slow, but hopefully will get up soon and A-Rod just isn't crushing it this season. We need these guys to get going soon.

We're not going be in first for long without a third of our line up hitting and a two fifths of our rotation pitching like garbage. Especially since we have the Red Sox Fury and the Bafana of the Rays slowly gaining on us.

World Cup Contest:

I will give a prize to the first person who can name all the World Cup References in this post. In order to win, you must comment the references on this post. There are 5 of them.

Other notes:

Vote Nick Swisher to the All-Star team. He needs all the support he can get. Vote here early and often.

AJ looked like crap yesterday. No two ways of saying it.

GO TEAM USA TOMORROW IN THEIR GAME.

Why I Love Andy Pettitte

Well, Jorgie juiced not one, but two.

Two grand slams in two days. I have nothing but respect for the man.

In my brother's first post, he said he was a "Posada guy." You'll notice he didn't refer to Posada as his "favorite." I point this out because of a conversation Mike and I had the other day.

Me: Mike, who is your favorite Yankee?

Mike: I don't have one.

Me: What?

Mike: I know who I don't like. (He grimaces). Scott Proctor (with detectable venom in his voice).

Yes, that's right. My brother insists he doesn't have a favorite player. This is a completely foreign concept to me. I'm a Pettite girl. And by that I mean Andy Pettitte is my favorite player.

Mike probably finds this a little odd mainly because Pettitte seems to go against what I stand for. If you asked my best friend to describe me she would say "Intensely loyal." Seriously, I've been known to blacklist people just for looking at my friends the wrong way.

And Pettitte left us for the Astros.

And anyone who knows me would describe me as a rule follower. My dad called me "the sheriff" when I was three.

And Pettitte admitted to steroid usage.

So why would he possibly be my favorite?

The honest answer is I have no idea. I think it has something to do with the crazy eyes he gets when he's pitching well. He pitched all three clinchers in the post-season. And the clincher in the '98 series.

But I've always just felt he was a good guy. He seems to genuinely love his kids and his team.